Identification, Research & Designation

SHPO stands for State Historic Preservation Office. The State Historic Preservation Office is the agency authorized to carry out the responsibilities of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended. These activities include: reviewing nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, overseeing the state’s architectural and archaeological survey programs, Section 106 Review and Compliance, managing Missouri’s Certified Local Government Program, reviewing state and federal historic tax credit applications, and administering Historic Preservation Grant programs.

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.

National Register listings can either be of an individual property or a district.

Nominations are submitted to the State Historic Preservation Office for review and assistance before being submitted to the Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, which determines whether or not the application should be submitted to the National Park Service for final approval.

More information on the National Register process can be found on the SHPO website here.

Eligibility assessments are tools utilized by the Missouri State Historic Preservation Office to help determine if a property is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. The National Register listing process is quite lengthy so an EA will allow nominators to get feedback from the SHPO regarding elibility status before they go through the greater nomination process.

More information on Eligibilty Assessments and the NR process can be found on the SHPO website here.

The Secretary of the Interior’s (SOI) Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties are basic historic preservation principles that are used to promote historic preservation best practices. Many funding opportunities, including the Historic Tax Credit, require preservation projects to follow SOI standards. The treatments are divided into four categories: preservation, restoration, reconstruction and rehabilitation.

Building condition assessments should always be the first step when dealing with a historic structure, regardless of whether the goal is preservation, restoration, or rehabilitation. There are two primary reasons for completing a condition assessment: to identify the materials and features of a historic structure, and determine their condition. The National Park Service has put together a useful post containing tips on the best way to complete a condition assessment. Lastly, it is important that issues discovered during a condition assessment are addressed quickly and appropriately to avoid further complications.

“A historic structure report provides documentary, graphic, and physical information about a property’s history and existing condition. Broadly recognized as an effective part of preservation planning, a historic structure report also addresses management or owner goals for the use or re-use of the property. It provides a thoughtfully considered argument for selecting the most appropriate approach to treatment, prior to the commencement of work, and outlines a scope of recommended work. The report serves as an important guide for all changes made to a historic property during a project-repair, rehabilitation, or restoration- and can also provide information for maintenance procedures. Finally, it records the findings of research and investigation, as well as the processes of physical work, for future researchers.”

— Preservation Brief 43: The Preparation and Use of Historic Structures Reports, Deborah Slaton, National Part Service, U.S. Department of the Interior

There are two types: National Historic Landmarks (NHL) and National Register for Historic Places (NR). National Historic Landmarks are the top-tier places that “represent an outstanding aspect of American history and culture.” There are fewer than 2,500 NHLs across the country and all of them are automatically included on the National Register of Historic Places. However, just because something is on the National Register of Historic Places, doesn’t mean it is an NHL.
The National Register of Historic Places is managed by the National Park Sercice and encompasses places from all across the country that are deemed significiant to national, state, or local history. To be included on this list, a building must be over 50 years old (generally) and meet one of four critera. More information on the NR, criteria, and getting listed can be found here. In Missouri, this is generally what people refer to when they say “listing a building as historic.”

Not all states have their own, separate registers for historic buildigns in their state. Missouri does not have a separate register for historic buildings.

The strongest protection for historic buildings comes at the local level through the creation of preservation ordinances and historic districts through a city government. Rules on how to get listed and what that listing entails varies from community to community and not all cities have a local register. In Missouri, cities that are included in the Certified Local Government Program have a preservation ordinance on their books.

Some cities might not have preservation laws but do recognize local historic structures with districts and/or informational plaques like a “Century Homes Program.”